Imam Ali Battalions announce split from PMF, weapons handover to state

BAGHDAD — The Imam Ali Battalions announced Tuesday they are severing ties with the Popular Mobilization Forces and beginning procedures to place their weapons under state control, citing “national responsibility” and the need to preserve national unity.

In a statement, the group said its leadership had decided to act “in harmony with the national desire and the decision of our brothers in the Coordination Framework,” adding that “the battle today is to build a strong and capable state, with full sovereignty over its land and skies.” The group said that “the resistance is a creed, belonging and responsibility, and not a profession,” and that current circumstances require restricting weapons to state hands.

The faction said it would establish several committees to oversee the transition: one to manage the inventory and transfer process under the supervision of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, one to support the families of those killed and wounded, and another to follow up on members’ affairs and facilitate their reintegration into state institutions.

The announcement follows a series of similar moves. The Coordination Framework endorsed restricting weapons to state authority on Monday, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq announced the formation of a committee to implement its own separation from PMF formations the following day. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced last week that Saraya al-Salam would separate from his movement and integrate under state authority. Iraqi President Nizar Amedi welcomed both moves as steps reinforcing state authority.

Not all factions have endorsed the direction. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq and a key component of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, has repeatedly rejected calls to disarm, arguing its weapons are tied to Iraq’s security and the presence of foreign forces. Other Iran-aligned factions have similarly linked any future disarmament to broader arrangements on foreign military presence. The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has offered up to $10 million each for information on three faction leaders: Harakat al-Nujaba founder Akram al-Kaabi, Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada secretary-general Abu Ala al-Walaei.